Phuket Jet Ski Crackdown: 10 Measures Before High Season

The Phuket jet ski crackdown announced this week sets out ten measures for rental operators before the high season, including GPS tracking, vessel registration, separate swimming zones and compulsory accident insurance, after a string of collisions involving tourists in recent months.

The plan was agreed at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall on Wednesday, 4 November, chaired by Vice Governor Romdon Hayiawae. The provincial public relations office promoted it as the "Phuket Model: 10 Key Measures", and the details were reported on Saturday by The Phuket News, which also questioned whether the latest round will achieve more than earlier ones.

What the Phuket jet ski crackdown includes

Officials described a package aimed at both safety on the water and the way rental businesses are run on the beach. The main points discussed were:

• Inspections and formal registration of every jet ski rental operator
• Clearer identification markings on each watercraft
• Separate zones so that jet skis and swimmers do not share the same water
• GPS tracking to monitor where vessels go and how fast they travel
• Mandatory accident insurance for all rental watercraft
• A database listing licensed and unlicensed operators
• A review of which agencies are responsible for enforcement
• Investigations into businesses suspected of using Thai nominees to hide foreign ownership

The nominee element links the plan to a wider push by Phuket authorities against hidden foreign ownership, which has already reached companies in Rawai, as covered in our report on the Phuket nominee probe into six Rawai companies.

Why officials are acting now

Several incidents since September have kept jet ski safety in the headlines. On 3 September, four riders repeatedly cut across the path of a passenger boat taking tourists from Ao Por Pier to Koh Naka Yai, prompting warnings from the crew. On 29 September, two Saudi tourists, one of them a 14-year-old girl, were seriously hurt when two jet skis collided off Naka Island; both suffered punctured lungs and the man also broke ribs.

On 6 October, another guided jet ski trip with foreign visitors was halted part-way because riders kept ignoring safety instructions. Phuket Tourist Police chief Pol Lt Col Ekkachai Siri confirmed that excursion was stopped over safety concerns, with no injuries reported. He said collisions are reported fairly often, most commonly at Patong Beach, and estimated an average of two to three cases a week, while stressing that not every case involves injuries.

A familiar cycle of inspections and fines

The new plan follows several earlier campaigns. In February the Phuket Marine Office announced island-wide inspections and even published the dates and beaches it would visit, including Kata-Karon, Kamala, Patong, Bang Tao and Naka Island, which critics said gave operators advance warning. In July, Marine Department officials fined 23 operators around Koh Siray B10,000 each for using unlicensed vessels.

A campaign in December 2024 found 72 illegal jet skis being rented to tourists, and fines collected in under a month totalled B720,000. Under the Thai Maritime Navigation Act, operating a jet ski without the required licence can bring a fine of up to B10,000 or as much as six months in jail. Tourists who rent a jet ski are exempt from the helmsman licence requirement, although private owners riding without one can still be fined.

The east coast remains sensitive. More than 300 permits were approved there in the final days of former governor Sophon Suwannarat's term in September 2025, which drew complaints from fishermen and residents in areas such as Pa Klok, Ao Por and Laem Sai about noise, dangerous riding and the risk to dugongs in shallow water.

What visitors should do

Until the measures are in force, the safest approach is simple. Ask whether the operator is registered, check the craft for damage before riding and take photos, agree the price and the time in writing, and stay well clear of swimmers and boat lanes. Seas can be choppy at this time of year, so check our guide to Phuket weather in November before booking. Island trips are a popular alternative, as described in our Coral Island day trip guide.

Officials have not yet given a start date for GPS tracking or the insurance rule. How quickly those two steps arrive will be the clearest test of whether this crackdown differs from the ones before it.

Photo: rental jet skis lined up on a beach, illustrating the Phuket jet ski crackdown (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).